Outstanding performance of gelatin as folic acid carrier: Assessment of photoprotection, bioaccessibility and gelling properties of the protein

Protein-based carriers are important tools for the delivery of bioactive molecules. The objective of this work is to assess gelatin as folic acid carrier, a water-soluble vitamin with numerous fundamental biological functions. In particular, the aim of this research is to assess how this interaction affects some important properties of gelatin, to what extent it protects folic acid from degradation caused by UV light exposure and how bioaccessible the vitamin is after in vitro gastro-duodenal digestion. Firstly, it was determined that the interaction with gelatin (2.5%) at pH 3 was more efficient to avoid its degradation. In this system, it was verified that the vitamin was released from the protein carrier during the duodenal stage and would be bioaccessible in this site of absorption. Finally, the effect of folic acid on the gelling properties of this protein was analyzed, given the importance when used as food ingredient. No relevant differences were observed in the rheological and functional parameters due to the presence of the vitamin, which would allow a wide application of the developed carrier.Fil: Zema, Paula Daniela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Orgánica; ArgentinaFil: Arzeni, Carolina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Industrias. Instituto de Tecnología de Alimentos y Procesos Quimicos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Tecnología de Alimentos y Procesos Quimicos.; ArgentinaFil: Pilosof, Ana Maria Renata. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Industrias. Instituto de Tecnología de Alimentos y Procesos Quimicos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Tecnología de Alimentos y Procesos Quimicos.; Argentin

Comparison of the Fungicidal Activities of Caspofungin and Amphotericin B against Candida glabrata

We investigated the fungicidal activity of caspofungin (CAS) and amphotericin B (AMB) against 16 clinical isolates of Candida glabrata. The minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFCs) of CAS were similar to those of AMB, ranging from 2.0 to >8.0 μg/ml. Time-kill assays performed on selected isolates showed that AMB was fungicidal at concentrations four times the MIC while CAS was not. A neutropenic-mouse model of disseminated infection was utilized to determine the residual fungal kidney burden. While doses as low as 0.3 and 1 mg/kg of body weight/day of CAS and AMB, respectively, were effective at reducing the counts with respect to controls, organ sterilization was reached when both drugs were administered at 5 mg/kg/day. Our study reveals that, similar to AMB, CAS has the potential for a fungicidal effect in vivo against this difficult-to-treat fungal pathogen

Sequential Therapy with Caspofungin and Fluconazole for Candida albicans Infection

A sequential therapy of caspofungin (CAS) and fluconazole (FLC) administration for treatment of Candida albicans infection was investigated. Treatment with CAS followed by FLC was as effective as CAS treatment given alone for the same duration. Our data suggest that switching from CAS to FLC is a potentially explorable therapeutic option for treatment of systemic candidiasis

In Vitro Activity of Posaconazole against Clinical Isolates of Dermatophytes

A broth macrodilution method following the recommendations established by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards was used to compare the in vitro activity of posaconazole (PCZ) with that of itraconazole (ITC) against 30 clinical isolates of dermatophytes belonging to six different species. In terms of MICs, PCZ showed an activity equal to that of ITC. MICs of PCZ at which 50% (MIC(50)) and 90% (MIC(90)) of the isolates were inhibited were 0.5 and >4.0 μg/ml, respectively. The MIC(50) and MIC(90) of ITC were 1.0 and >4.0 μg/ml, respectively. However, PCZ showed a more potent fungicidal activity than that of ITC against isolates belonging to the genus Microsporum (P = 0.03). PCZ merits further investigation as a potentially useful agent for treatment of dermatophytosis

Caspofungin in Combination with Amphotericin B against Candida glabrata

The effects of caspofungin combined with amphotericin B were investigated with Candida glabrata. Although in vitro experiments showed an indifferent interaction, the combination regimen was the only therapeutic approach yielding organ sterilization in a murine candidemia model